867.4016/744
The Secretary of State to the British Ambassador (Geddes)
My Dear Mr. Ambassador: Referring to your letter of November 22nd and our conversation of November 23rd in regard to the question of the Christian minorities in Turkey, I desire again to express my great interest in this question.
I have instructed our representatives at Lausanne34 that they should lose no opportunity to impress upon the Turkish delegates that they were compromising their position before the world in failing to make it clear that there was no desire or intention on their [Page 966] part to drive out over a million people under conditions of extraordinary hardship, suffering and loss of life. The Department impressed upon the American Mission at Lausanne the desirability of securing from the Turkish delegates a satisfactory assurance that there was no intention to force an evacuation of the Christian minorities in Turkey, and also that the male relatives of refugees in Greece should be allowed to rejoin their families.
The High Commission at Constantinople has been authorized to use its good offices to facilitate arrangements for the departure of Christians who desired to leave Anatolia but [it was?] pointed out that adequate protection should be afforded to those who remained in Turkey. American naval forces in the Near East have also been assisting in facilitating the departure of the Christians who had reached the sea coast of Anatolia in their effort to flee the country.
As I indicated to you orally on November 23rd, I feel that it would be most helpful if a comprehensive plan of relief could be adopted to meet the grave conditions that have arisen.
I am [etc.]
- Instructions not printed.↩